Time Bomb
by Uber-l33t Rabid Ninja Squirrel
Summary: When Hermione uses her healing skills to save Draco, his gratitude deepens into affection. But can the relationship hold true through the explosive power of dark magic? Dark Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

In the corner, the woman pressed her lips together to keep from screaming. Her tormentor screamed "Crucio!" and she couldn't help the whimper that escaped her lips at this new wave of pain. They had been doing this for so long- how much more could her body take?

He was watching from the shadows as they tortured her. He could say nothing, do nothing. A traitor himself, if he tried to help her now he would endure the same type of punishment. It was better for the both of them if no-one knew he was there.

Her tormentor stepped forward and pointed his wand at her throat. "Are you ready to talk, woman? Tell us his location, and we will spare you from more pain." The woman swallowed audibly, scooting backwards and away from her captor. She could only move a few inches before she rammed into the cold stone of the wall. The man in front of her pressed the tip of his wand to her voice box. "Speak now, or be forever silenced, blood traitor."

She looked up at him through bloodshot gray eyes.

"I… will… _never_ betray… my…son…"

"Very well." Her captor's eyes were as black and soul-less as a new moon as he stepped back and pointed his wand at the woman's heart. "Avada Kedevra."

The flash of green light blinded his vision. When he could see again, the woman was slumped against the wall, platinum-blonde hair falling over her lifeless face. In that moment, his gray eyes that were so like her own became focused in uncontrollable sorrow. Raising his wand, Draco Malfoy stepped out from where he had been hiding, a feral scream emanating from his mouth.

"MOTHER!"

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Disclaimer and all that jazz: I don't own Harry Potter. Wish I did, but that can't be helped.

Please review, this is my first time publishing something I've written!

Rated M for later chapters- I might edit out most of it, but better safe than sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco groaned as he awakened to the pain coursing through his body. He felt like he was floating in a sea where each drop, each sensation burned him as it came in contact with his skin. He tried to sit up, and a tidal wave of fresh agony engulfed him. Falling backwards, he settled for opening his eyes- and still saw only darkness. He reached up a hand to touch his face, and found it swathed in bandages.

A soft, gentle grip pulled his hand away from his head and set it back down next to him. In the midst of his suffering, he faintly registered the fact that he was lying on something soft. A soothing voice issued from above him.

"Lay still, Draco. You've been badly hurt."

It was a woman's voice. Kind and caring, it held no trace of the suffering his mother's had before she-

A fresh wave of pain engulfed Draco as snippets of memory flooded back into his battered brain. Narcissa, screaming as she was tortured by death eaters looking for her son. Her lifeless body, slumped against the wall like a broken doll. The heartache of his mother's loss overwhelmed him, and he sunk back into oblivion.

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Ginny Weasley sighed, and leaned back into her husband's strong arms. Harry pulled her closer to him, running his hands through her long hair.

"How is he?" he asked, kissing her forehead. Ginny turned to him, her eyes sad and bloodshot.

"He's in a bad way. I've gotten him stabilized, but this is beyond my skill to heal. Three broken ribs, a punctured lung, shattered leg and collarbone… those I could deal with. But the internal injuries, and his eyes… we'll have to take him to St. Mungo's to fix that. And even with their work, I doubt he'll ever see again."

Harry could see the toll that Malfoy's healing had taken on his beloved. He pulled her over to a couch and sat her down in his lap, where he began to rub her back.

"Ginny, you know we can't take him to St. Mungo's. They'll find him there."

"They wouldn't attack him in a _hospital, _would they? A man as helpless as this?" Ginny gestured to the bandage-swathed form on the bed and looked up at her husband, shocked. He sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"He was facing three on his own when we caught up to him. He'd already killed one, but he must have gotten out a call for help. They were death eaters, Gin. They weren't just going to kill him. I swear, they'd 'crucioed' him so many times before we got there, I don't see how he was still fighting. We took them out, but… not before they'd gotten his eyes. There was nothing we could do for him but bring him back here. They killed Narcissa, too." Harry's head slumped onto Ginny's shoulder as he looked hollowly into space. His tone was one of utter defeat.

Ginny squeezed him into a tight embrace.

"Harry, I didn't know you cared so much about him." Harry smiled wanly and looked up into her hazel eyes.

"You're gonna kill me for telling you this, Gin." She looked at him, intrigued, and he said into her shoulder "I…uh… had a huge crush on him when we were in school…."

Ginny sat up so fast she nearly fell off his lap, and burst out laughing. Harry picked her up and sat her next to him, wrapping his arm around her.

"Shhh. You don't want to wake him up, dear."

Ginny looked worried.

"I know- but Harry, we've got to find someone to heal him. I don't have the _skill._" Harry looked over at Draco's battered form.

"Hermione will take him," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

In his dream, Draco was running. Something was after him, and he had to get away from it. He wove through a shadowy maze, darting around walls and down corridors in his attempt to escape. The whole world was blurred and in shades of gray- except for something small and green just around the corner. He slowed to see what it was-

A _huge_ snake of emerald green lunged at his throat. Draco pulled back and it recoiled, hissing malevolently. He reached for his wand- but it wasn't in his pocket. Instead, his hand closed around the handle of a small dagger. He weighted in his hand while watching the snake warily. Its head bobbed from side to side, its fangs dripping a tarry poison as it watched him.

With infinite slowness, he shifted his weight onto his front foot, and then lashed out quickly at the snake's head. It reared back from his attack, towering over him. His balance faltered, and as he tried to regain his balance the snake's tail whipped out with lightening speed to wrap around his torso. As he struggled to hack at the giant serpent's coils, they tightened around him in a vice of steely muscle.

A yell escaped Draco's lips as the snake's body constricted around him. He flailed wildly, ready to do _anything_ to get out of the creature's grasp. It was of no use- every movement of his only incited the reptilian to squeeze him tighter. As the already gray and fuzzy world began to fade away from his view, his eyes focused on what had once been the snake's eyes. The pits were scarred and scabbed; eyeballs replaced with huge, multi-faceted rubies the color of dried blood. They were the last thing in his vision as the world went black.

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Harry and Ginny sat, silent, as Hermione ministered to the injured young man they had brought her. At the sight of his battered and mutilated body, her kind brown eyes had filled slightly. She had looked up at an obviously worried Harry with numerous questions apparent on her face, but the stepped back so Ginny could levitate Draco's bed into the her house. Now they waited patiently on a couch in the upstairs bedroom were Hermione had gone to work. Outside, a storm had started up. The soft, fat raindrops pelted the windowpanes as the trees bent gently in the wind.

Harry rose and walked to the window, pushing back the white curtains that covered it. Dim moonlight filtered through the panes to illuminate the sad scene before him; one witch, trying desperately to save her patient, the other able to do nothing but wait. It seemed even the world felt the pain that was emanating from that room tonight. The world was gray, and the skies were crying all the tears that Hermione seemed to need to shed. He stood there, staring out into the world, trying to figure out where all this pain had come from.

By the time Harry moved away from the window, Ginny had fallen asleep. He walked to her and stroked the halo of ginger hair that surrounded her. Hermione turned away from Malfoy's bed, and her throat caught as she watched her best friend tenderly caressing his lover. She went to stand beside him, looking down at the sleeping form of her boyfriend's sister.

"Take her home, Harry. She needs to rest."

Harry stood up and looked at her, concern in his eyes.

"So do you, Hermione." She smiled tiredly.

"I'll be fine. I'm used to healing, but Ginny's not."

Harry looked over at Malfoy's sleeping form, his face a mask of worry and pain.

"Will he be all right?" Hermione nodded, and he caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him. "Hermione, I saw what they did to him- I heard the curses they used. Please, tell me. _Will he be okay?_"

Softly, she took his arm and led him next to Malfoy's bed. The pair looked down on him in silence.

"Harry, I don't know." Her voice was defeated. "Those curses- there's something in them that keeps wounds from healing. I've done the best I can. His body will heal, with time. His eyes… there's nothing I can do for him, right now. Later, once he's in better shape, I can try."

Harry looked at her with such anguish in his eyes, Hermione swore she felt her heart break. She pulled him into her arms, cradling his head on her shoulder. "Harry, I didn't know you still cared for him so much."

He buried his head deeper into her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was muffled by her sweater.

"Of _course_ I still care. Nothing can keep me from caring about him, Hermione. Please, let me know if… if he…"

"I'll let you know as soon as anything changes, I promise." Squeezing her best friend into a tighter embrace, Hermione stepped back. "Take Ginny home now. She needs your reassurance and your love."

Harry picked up his wife in his arms and turned to leave the room. "Oh, and Harry?" Hermione walked over and opened the door for him. "Don't talk about Malfoy too much. I know you are worried- we all are- but for your marriage, be careful."

Harry nodded in understanding, and walked downstairs with his wife. A minute later, Hermione heard the crack of his apparition.

After casting a guarding spell around her patient, Hermione sunk down onto the couch. She'd never had to help anyone as badly hurt as Malfoy was, and it had exhausted her. She could only he'd make the night.

As the moon made its way in and out of the rain clouds, Hermione fell asleep in its light. As the rain slowed and then stopped, a solitary tear rolled down the sleeping woman's cheek.


End file.
